Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley had a strong performance during what was essentially another meaningless televised GOP presidential primary debate, experts said.
Five 2024 Republican hopefuls took to the stage in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday night in the latest primary debate, two fewer than last time, after former Vice President Mike Pence dropped out of the race and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum failed to qualify by not meeting the higher threshold.
Once again, former President Donald Trump snubbed the televised debate, saying he didn't need to take part as he has such a demanding lead in the GOP primary polls that the other Republican candidates are essentially battling it out for second place.
Ultimately, while experts told Newsweek that Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie were among the candidates who made good impressions of themselves on the debate stage on Wednesday, no one would have done enough to prevent Trump from clinching the GOP nomination next year.

"I thought all five debate participants individually had their best nights at this debate, benefiting from the fewer number of people on stage, the specific topics addressed, and the impressive control of the moderating team," Sean Freeder, an assistant professor of political science at the University of North Florida, told Newsweek.
"That said, this debate should still be considered a failure for all five candidates; time is running out, and the only way this debate was going to benefit any of them would be if only one of them had a standout performance while everyone else floundered.
"One of the candidates could have cured cancer live on stage and it still wouldn't prevent Trump from easily winning the upcoming Republican primary," Freeder added. "He's too far ahead in the polls, has too much support from the base, and party elites and donors are too afraid of him to meaningfully challenge him."
David B. Cohen, a professor of political science at the University of Akron in Ohio, also said Haley was "strong in the debate" and came across as "knowledgeable and realistic" when answering a question on abortion.
On Wednesday night, Haley said that the country must not "divide" further over the issue of abortion rights. She hinted that she wouldn't back highly restrictive abortion bans, which appear to have been rejected by voters and to have harmed the GOP in elections since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June.
"I would support anything that would pass. But you have to be honest with the American people," Haley said. "I would sign anything that would get 60 Senate votes. "Don't make the American people think you're going to push something on them when you don't even have the votes in the Senate."
Cohen also praised Haley for calling entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy "scum" after he brought up her daughter's use of TikTok as an attack line during the debate. Cohen suggested that Ramaswamy is not a serious political candidate and will "literally say anything to get screen time."
Elsewhere, Cohen said Christie was also strong on Wednesday, but that he has "no shot" at securing the nomination, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was "middling as usual" and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott gave "another somewhat catatonic performance," which did not help his longshot hopes at all.
"Ultimately, does any of this matter? Though an act of political cowardice, the guy that is dominating the polling and running away with the nomination is ducking these debates and it won't hurt him," Cohen told Newsweek. "The GOP primary electorate—and America—deserves better than to have a nominee too craven to debate."
Tom Preston, a professor of communication at the University of North Georgia, also said Haley "again came off effectively" in the debate, especially with regards to foreign policy, while citing her experience as U.N. ambassador. Preston added that Haley, along with DeSantis, came across as "much more controlled, confident, and in command of evidence" to back up claims on specific issues while answering questions on stage.
"She responded well to Vivek Ramaswamy's personal attacks," Preston told Newsweek. "Ramaswamy may have lost ground not only by these attacks, but also with an inability to differentiate his program from Trump's platform, with an early attack on the media and repeating Trump talking points on the media being biased and elections being rigged."
While Ramaswamy has an extremely slim chance of winning the primary, Freeder suggested he may still have had the best night on Wednesday as he is "likely just auditioning for a position as a running mate, or in Trump's cabinet, and he's therefore in the best position of the five to benefit from his performance this evening."
Trump held a campaign rally in Hialeah, Florida, on Wednesday night and spoke to his supporters at the same time the debate was being broadcast.
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Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy... Read more
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